Wash Away My Tears
by rougescribe
Summary: Nalu Love Fest 2015: Day 3: Comfort. Intimacy: (noun) an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection, or the like- and Natsu certainly knew when it was needed.


Nalu Love Fest 2015  
Day 3 Prompt: Comfort

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own hopes and dreams and other such things.

Note: This one isn't as dirty either. I was going for intimate this time around rather than out right smutty. Hope you enjoy!

-CGP

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Intimacy: (noun) an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection, or the like:

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Disgusting. Completely disgusting.

Lucy hated the taste of vomit, but her limbs were far too weak from exertion to do anything about it. Quivering and shaking over the toilet bowl, she heaved a sigh that turned into a whimper when another wave of nausea hit her.

She could still smell blood. The putrid stench of burning limbs and the sounds of pained screams still echoed in her ears. It caused the sickness in her stomach to roil angrily until she was reduced to nothing, but a shivering heap of blonde hair and sweaty skin on the cold stone floor of her bathroom.

If someone had told her months ago that she would have a nightmare so gruesome it would force last night's dinner out of her she would have waved them off in disgust and disbelief. Oh, but now was different. She knew full well how sick dreams could make you now.

And the tears that swam in her eyes were impossible to stop.

Dry heaving now that all substance left to upchuck had left her system, she blubbered over the cold porcelain, ignoring her disgust in favor of resting her overheated flesh on it as another whine escaped her. It was a sort of keening whine, the sort a child would use when in desperate need of assistance and with no way to possibly voice it. It was the middle of the night, releasing her anguish loudly was not something she should be doing.

"...Lucy?" Flinching when a hand landed on her shoulder, she whimpered through her tears and tilted her head just enough to look at the worried dragonslayer behind her. His hair was tousled in that 'just woken' up state she loved, but couldn't bring herself to appreciate and his eyes glowed in the dim light in concern. "- are ya' sick?"

Biting back a sarcastic reply, she simply nodded her head weakly, sniffling once more. "-just… a … bad dream." She mumbled meekly.

Saying it out loud, made her feel so… pathetic.

"Sounds like more than just a bad dream, weirdo." His tone was soft, hardly reprimanding: almost a caress of sorts despite his words and before she knew it, warm arms were circling her, lifting her from the cold floor and Lucy whined in minor protest. She was just.. so.. tired. Her muscles quivered from the strain and any thought to moving just made her stomach churn even more.

"Hey, hey, calm down- I'm just gettin' ya away from the toilet. We're not goin' far." Her unasked question towards where he was intending to place her was answered when he, with one arm holding her against him, quickly turned the bath on: allowing water to fill the stone tub and create a steam that fogged up her mirror quickly. How he raised the temperature so quickly was no mystery to her. She could feel his own skin heating up in the process as he worked. Something she would have marveled at if not in so vulnerable a state.

Instead, she shuddered, tilting her head into the crook of his neck where she inhaled the thick scent of burnt wood and pine: a favorite of hers. In what felt like no time to her, Natsu shifted her again, stepping into the tub while they were both still clothed and gently eased her into the warm water.

The heat instantly soothed her muscles and she moaned, both from appreciation and pain: the heat of her skin made the hot water feel cold to touch and it had started up her shivers all over again. Not to mention he was getting her clothes drenched.

"Natsu… my clothes…" She whispered, but he was having none of it.

"I'll dry 'em later. Just relax, Lucy." His voice was gruff, far more serious than usual and she was certain that if she had been able to look at his face, it would have been full of serious determination as he set himself behind her, pulling her against his chest where his warm arms could keep her safe.

Safe… yes.. that's how this felt. Completely safe. She couldn't help it, she whimpered again.

"Shhh- everything's okay: I'm right here. You can feel me right?" As if to prove his point, Natsu held her head gently, pushing her further into his chest where his strong heartbeat could enter her ears. Sighing, still allowing tears to stroll down her face, she nodded her head.

What did she do to deserve someone like him? Clenching his wet shirt tightly in her small fingers, she shuddered again and clung to him as if she were afraid he'd disappear. A part of her actually was.

"- you weren't there." She muttered after a time, as the steam had begun to make her mind hazy and eyes droop. He had seemed more than content to keep laying there, holding her above the water as the rise and fall of his breaths lured her into sleep, but her words gave him pause. "I was alone and crying in a battlefield- trying to find you, but I couldn't… I couldn't find you."

"-it was horrible. I can still smell it Natsu…" Tilting her head suddenly, she was silenced by a firm yet gentle kiss as his fingers held her tighter against him and a low hum passed between his mouth and hers.

When he pulled back, breath mingling with hers, the crack in her voice was gone and a light dusting of color had finally covered her tear stained cheeks. That was a far better look on her. "...Natsu?"

"Doesn't matter what ya' dreamed," He muttered, gaze intensely staring into her own. "Doesn't matter how bloody things get either. If you need me, Lucy, I'll find you. That's a promise. Got it?"

A promise. She never went back on them. And neither did he.

it was something they both shared ever since the beginning and the words cracked the weight on her mind far better than any hammer and finally, _finally_ , a ghost of a smile quirked at her lips. "Y-yeah, I got it."

"There we go, that looks more like my Lucy," he chuckled. Though his tone was teasing and the fanged grin he gave her a reflection of his usual, more boisterous self: he still held her gently, eyes betraying all the love and affection his somber movements hid for the moment. "Come on- smile more. It's no fun if you're not happy an' you know it."

Lucy laughed then. A small one, but it bubbled forth as she nuzzled her head under his chin, fingers grasping his biceps as he held her. His own answering laugh came back as he kissed her forehead and suddenly- everything seemed like it was going to be okay. Except…

"-... Natsu you kissed me after I threw up: that's gross."

His laugh was even louder then, fingers curling along her chin once more as he tilted her face to look into her own. "Like I give a damn about that, ya' weirdo."

"Well- can we at least take our clothes off? We're not supposed t-mmpf-" Interrupted yet again, but this time, the kiss lasted far longer as his mouth consumed hers slowly. Whining into his mouth, she barely noticed when his fingers lowered, slowly slipping along the seams of her shirt before he began to peel it off her bit by bit; he only broke the kiss to remove it and began again as his hands worked to remove her of the pajama pants she wore.

"Fine. No more clothes as long as you promise no more crying." He murmured against her lips. Her own hands had begun to work on his own, gentle movements and soft caresses following their every movement.

This wasn't a moment of perversion or lusty desire. This- this was comfort and sharing the others presence as they basked in an emotion they gave to one another every day: Lucy needed this.

Once clothes had been removed, tossed aside to wet her stone floor into giant puddles, she had been turned around, facing Natsu whose eyes lit up as she finally smiled at him. A bright one that held no ghosts behind her chocolate pupils. Mirroring his grin, she rested her arms on his shoulders and rubbed her nose gently against his with eyes slowly closing.

"No more tears." She mumbled before their lips connected once again.

No words were spoken after that. None were needed.


End file.
